Favorite Charleston Things-Part 1

 My apologies (again) for the lack of posts! We've been out of town for a few days visiting our daughter at Indiana University. Always a great time!

I've been meaning to share some photos from our September trip to Charleston, South Carolina. It's been a really long time since I've been on an actual vacation. June 2010, to be exact. Sure, I've been to Indiana and Michigan to visit Bailey, but I do not consider those trips vacations. So I'm very glad we finally got away for a bit. It was a great mental health break!

When we first blocked out time to go "somewhere", I didn't even care where we went. I was at the point where I just needed to GO. After all the events of the past few years, I just needed a change of scenery to force me to think about different things. When Spouse suggested Charleston, it sounded good to me. Several people had recommended it as a nice, low-key destination. So off we went!

Turns out Charleston is a beautiful city. Other than the rainy weather we encountered, we had a great time walking around, checking out the incredible restaurants, and experiencing a bit of southern hospitality. Here are just a few of my favorite things from this trip:

Window Boxes

Beautiful window boxes are everywhere! Unlike my hair (which looked ghastly during the entire trip), colorful flowers thrive in the humidity. Each window box I encountered seemed to be more beautiful than the last!

Shrimp and Grits

 Along with She-Crab Soup, this is one of Charleston's signature dishes...and now one of my all-time favorites. In much the same way that in the Midwest everyone has his or her own meatloaf recipe, this dish varies from place to place. I tried three or four different versions of it and decided my favorite was this one from Hominy Grill. I can't begin to tell you how good it is. My lowly picture doesn't begin to do it justice. I've got the recipe and, since Spouse can't handle shrimp, I'll be making it the next time he goes out of town!

  Did I mention WINDOW BOXES?

Alligators! In the wild!

We visited a plantation just outside of Charleston. When the driver dropped us off, he told us not to wander too close to the ponds because of the alligators. I had no idea he was serious! See that dark spot along the lake in front of the tree at the upper right? That is an alligator. In the wild. How cool is that?

 

Oh, did I mention WINDOW BOXES? And gas lights!
I loved the combination of colors and textures in these boxes. I also loved the flickering gas lights on the fronts of many of the older buildings. So much prettier than boring old light bulbs!

 

Sheep! In the wild!

I know I'm from Iowa, but there was something very charming about seeing these sheep grazing on the plantation grounds. We don't have this kind of thing in Iowa! 

 

  Piazzas

Many of the stately old homes in Charleston have double porches, called piazzas. I've always wanted a porch and now I would like a DOUBLE porch, please! We toured this mansion which actually has two piazzas, one on the front and another on the side.

 We had a great time visiting Charleston! If you're looking for a quick get-away with fabulous food and great architecture, check it out!

jp